Speaking Sample 11

IELTS GT Test – Speaking Mock Test # 11

[The examiner asks the candidate about him/herself, his/her home, work or studies and other familiar topics.]

PART 1:

Topic: Dancing

Q. Do you enjoy dancing? [Why/Why not?]A. If you ask me whether I enjoy seeing someone dance or enjoy dancing in a theatre, my answer is ‘yes’. However, if you wanted to know if I myself enjoy doing dancing, I would say ‘no’. I have never learned it and never tried it. I know dancing is so magical but I never tried it. Maybe I was more interested in sports than dancing during my youth.

Q. Has anyone ever taught you to dance? [Why/Why not?]A.As I have already told, no one ever taught me how to dance and I never wanted to learn it. So I ended up being a person who enjoys seeing others dance but does not dance himself.

Q. Tell me about any traditional dancing in your country.A.Traditional Italian dances are hard to find in Italy in general as most of the youth are interested in modern dancing these days. The top three such traditional dances in Italy are the tarantella from Puglia, the Sardinian ballu tundu (round dance) and the Neapolitan Saltarello. Among these three, the saltarello is a musical dance and one of my favourites. It became the typical Italian folk dance and a favourite tradition of Rome in the Carnival and vintage festivities of Monte Testaccio. The saltarello is still a popular folk dance played in the regions of southern-central Italy.

Q. Do you think that traditional dancing will be popular in the future? [Why/Why not?]A. I am afraid, modern dancing is replacing traditional dancing. As more people, especially the youth, are learning modern dancing and people are following western cultures, traditional dancing is losing its appeal and are being replaced by more contemporary dancing styles. However, Italians love to revive through the traditional dancing during different festivals, and it will not be lost, I believe.

PART 2:

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

Describe someone in your family who you like.

You should say:

how this person is related to you

what this person looks like

what kind of person he/she is

and explain why you like this person.

Cue Card Answer:

He is a distant cousin of mine from my father’s side, and he lives in the same neighbourhood where I live. He doesn’t exactly visit me or my family that often, but I really treat him like my own cousin. Being in his mid 20’s, he doesn’t really seem to be very tidy, strong and well-built like the other persons of the same age. Barely with a height of 5’7”, Lorenzo can also be described as having a fair complexion. Looking at his long thin hair from behind, one can also very easily identify him as “Lorenzo”.

Lorenzo doesn’t really like to talk much unless there is a valid reason to do. So, naturally, he doesn’t really have that many friends who would want to relate to him. But, once you open up to him, Lorenzo can keep you engaged for hours with his “lectures” on space science. Of course, having a bit of a temper, he can get easily irritated if you ever dare to challenge his views on “space science”. Lorenzo isn’t exactly very conscious about contemporary fashion or design, so it isn’t exactly surprising to see him wearing the same types of shirts and pants for years.

However, I like Lorenzo because he doesn’t really like to become “nosy” in the affairs of other people. Another positive aspect of Lorenzo’s characteristics is that he never really likes to argue with anybody unless he/she is talking about space science. I like Lorenzo also because he gives me company when I go fishing at a nearby lake even though he knows very well that I am not really very good at fishing. Of course, it serves him well too as he gets to spend hours watching the sky with his telescope. In fact, his “theories” on space science sometimes do get interesting, but I never really let him know about my ‘interest”. Anyway, Lorenzo certainly isn’t exactly the kind of person with whom one can easily befriend, but I really like my cousin because of his simplicity and honesty.

PART 3

Discussion topics: Family similarities

Q. In what ways can people in a family be similar to each other?A.I believe our genetics and DNA have a great role in determining what we look like and how we behave. Since members from a family share the same genetic codes, they are often very similar to each other – in look and behaviour. In my opinion, our upbringing often shapes our characters and habits and it is no surprise that a baby turns out to be more like his/her parents than others. We usually look like our parents, feel exactly the same way when faced with challenges and take similar decisions as a family member. A shared family value often teaches us to stick together and become more like the rest of the family in our acts and thoughts.

However, this does not mean that all of them are strikingly similar as I have seen many people who are a polar opposite to the rest of their family.

Q. Do you think that daughters are always more similar to mothers than to male relatives? What about sons and fathers?A. I believe there is a 50% chance that a daughter would look like her mother if we consider how the genetic codes impact the way we look. However, a girl spends more time with her mother, especially in her adolescence and youth, and thus acquire more of her qualities, and due to this, end up being more similar to her mother. On the other hand, a son, who oftentimes follows his father and mimic many of his behaviours usually idolise the father and want to become like him.

However, there are many exceptions and I can recall many boys I know about are more like their mothers while many daughters are greatly influenced by their fathers. One of my cousins, Bella, looks like her father and she has more similarities to her father than her mother.

Q. In terms of personality, are people more influenced by their family or by their friends? In what ways?A. I believe, the family has a greater influence than friends in shaping someone’s personality and character. Since we spend more time with family and often learn from them in our childhood, our core personality is formed by the influence of our family. Our shared DNA also influences us to be more like our family than our friends.

However, as we grow up and start spending time with friends, we often tend to follow them and acquire some of their good and bad habits which further moulds our characters.

Discussion topics: Genetic research

Q. Where can people in your country get information about genetic research?A.I think the internet is the primary source of information related to genetic research in our country. We have two genetic research centres and they provide useful information on their websites. Apart from that, the Science and Information Technology ministry offers the latest findings on genetic engineering on its website and publications. Someone with a proper channel can get more information from a few public universities that also work in this field.

Q. How do people in your country feel about genetic research?A. I think the feelings are mixed. Some people with progressive mentality whole-heartedly welcome it while a few others believe that genetic research is unethical and should not be carried out. I personally think that we need to enhance our genetic research facility as it could bring an unparalleled breakthrough in identifying risks of health problems and then fighting uncurable diseases. It can also be the answer to increasing food demands.

Q. Should this research be funded by governments or private companies? Why? A. I believe the government should fund and carry out the research. Private companies often invest a huge sum of money in research and development and use the outcome to make even bigger profits from it. Thus their research is often subject to business interest than the benefits of mass people. The government, on the contrary, can be more transparent in carrying out such research and use the result to change the fate of the ordinary people.